Clinical and Mycological Studies of Trichophyton mentagrophytes Infections from Rabbits

Kim, Sang Won; Jang, Hyo Chan

Abstract

BACKGROUND
It is the Year of Rabbit in 1999 in Korea, so rabbit becomes an popular pet animal. At the same time, there seems to be an important increase in dermatophytoses in human as a result of frequent contact with rabbits in early 1999 in Taegu, Korea.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose is to investigate the clinical and mycological features of rabbits and human, and their correlation.
METHODS
Twenty-one cases with dermatophytoses, transmitted from infected rabbits, were evaluated from January to March, 1999. Mycological study were carried out from the lesions of rabbits and human.
RESULTS
Trichophyton (T.) mentagrophytes, granulosum-asteroides form, were isolated from all the lesions of rabbits and human as an causative dermatophyte. The infected rabbits aged 8~12 weeks. The lesions showed 1.0?4.0 cm-sized, inflamed alopecia covered with whitish-gray crusts. Predominant sites were face, neck, abdomen, and legs. Human infections showed a high incidence of teens (76.2%), and female predominance (2 times), and mainly being tinea faciale and tinea corporis. The lesions were 0.5 ~ 4.0 cm-sized ring-shaped scaly patches with intense inflammation, averaging 4.5 in number per capita. The presumed incubation period was about 2 weeks. Experimental rabbit inoculation test with isolates of rabbits and human resulted in the same typical tinea lesions about 15~20 days after inoculation. It took almost 4 weeks for treatment of both rabbits and human infections.
CONCLUSION
Zoophilic T. mentagrophytes, as an etiological source and/or reservoir in rabbits, can be frequently transmitted to human. In the epidemiologic respects, prevention of spread of dennatophytes from rabbits or other pet animals is the most important.